


Loving Family

by ThatCunningSlytherin



Series: My Fire Emblem Canon (one-shots) [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Breastfeeding, F/M, Married Life, Mentions of miscarriage, Older Man/Younger Woman, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatCunningSlytherin/pseuds/ThatCunningSlytherin
Summary: While they finish moving into their new apartment Dorothea and Hanneman prepare for the birth of their first child.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Bernadetta von Varley (mentioned), Dorothea Arnault/Hanneman von Essar
Series: My Fire Emblem Canon (one-shots) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817731
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Loving Family

It was with trembling, excited, fingers that Dorothea reached into the crate and pulled out a thick red book. She walked over to the bookshelf and handed the tome to Hanneman who was standing on an upturned crate.

“Ah, there you are,” he said eyeing the volume. “Boris Rukman’s thesis on the practical uses of crests in a developing society.”

“Won’t you need that at your office?” Dorothea asked as she watched the book slide into its saved place on the full bookshelf.

“Hardly,” Hanneman stepped off the crate and brushed off the front of his shirt, smoothing the wrinkles out. He leaned forward and kissed his wife on the lips before continuing. “I disproved or expanded on his principles decades ago.”

Dorothea smiled, “Then why do you still need it?”

Hanneman looked amused, “Why it still makes for entertaining reading.”

“Ahhh, I see,” Dorothea smiled knowingly her green eyes shining mischievously.

“What?” Hanneman asked wearily.

Dorothea shrugged, smirking, turning to look busy by unnecessarily turning a pillow on the couch.

“What do you see?” Hanneman asked again.

Dorothea turned to face him still grinning, “You keep the book because it makes you feel smart.”

Hanneman flushed and stuttered, “I..I, that’s not…that would be…”

Dorothea stood on her toes to silence him with another kiss.

“Don’t worry Mannie, your secret is safe with me.”

Hanneman wanted to scowl but his wife’s smile in her rounded face, with her green eyes shining up at him prevented him from doing anything but shake his head and smile softly back at her. He looked at the full bookshelf.

“That is it then? The last crate?”

Dorothea turned around to look at the shelf and Hanneman wrapped his arms around her, one hand resting on her swollen abdomen.

“That is it,” she confirmed. “The last crate is empty, we are moved in completely and absolutely.”

She moved her head to nuzzle at his shoulder and Hanneman kissed the top of her head. 

“I never thought I would return to this city, much less move back,” Hanneman muttered into Dorothea’s soft hair.

“Do you hate it?” Dorothea asked stepping out of his arms and turning to look worriedly into his face.

“No, my love,” Hanneman said cupping a cheek. “While I admit Enbarr still holds painful memories, moving back here makes the most sense for us. I can perform my crest research anywhere but the Mittelfrank Opera Company is one of the few places in Fodlan where you can perform, and I know how eager you are to return to the stage.”

“Yes, but I would hate to…OH!” Dorothea’s face contorted in pain and her hands flew to her belly.

“Dora? Is it another cramp?” Hanneman, face full of fear, helped Dorothea walk back towards the couch and sit down.

“I am alright, alright,” Dorothea said taking a deep breath. “The baby is just kicking and punching away.”

Hanneman looked down as he placed a hand above the flesh that was all that separated him from his child. He felt the skin rise up under his hand, as the baby kicked away.

“I swear this child is going to be a brawler,” Dorothea sighed trying to breathe through the pain.

“Is it that bad?” Hanneman asked; his attention back on his wife. “Let me run out I will tell the university I cannot work today and fetch the midwife.”

“No, no I am fine,” Dorothea said her face relaxing as the movement inside her womb lessened. “You should work, you said you were close to isolating the, what was it? ‘The biological components that are still embedded within the hero’s relics’?”

“Well yes, but…”

“Besides we only have a month to go before the baby comes, once that happens, I will need you here to help,” Dorothea said stroking one of his cheeks. “I would rather have you miss work then as opposed to now; I will be fine.”

Hanneman looked skeptical for a moment before kissing her palm and nodding.

“Very well I will go to work but I am going to ask the midwife to stop by and check to make sure everything is alright.”

“Deal, now help me up.”

Hanneman smiled as he took the hand and arm closest to him and let her use him as a lever to rise easier. She huffed as she stood, rubbing her back before sighing, this baby had better not be late in arriving, she was ready to move like a normal person again.

“Please take it easy today,” Hanneman added. “Everything is unpacked and I will get rid of the crates tonight when I get home.”

“I am fine Mannie,” Dorothea took her husband's hands. “I am just going to start painting the baby’s room, maybe put the crib together, oh, and then I wanted to…”

She cut off at the stern expression he gave her.

“Or I could just work on the announcement letters, then after the baby is born we just need to fill in the gender and name.”

“Better,” Hanneman kissed Dorothea on the forehead. “I should get ready for work if I am going to stop by the clinic first.”

“Mannie you don’t need…”

“I.am.stopping.by.the.clinic.first.”

Dorothea pursed her lips, pouting, as she watched Hanneman walk into their bedroom but her heart was fluttering. She put on a show but Dorothea did not think she would ever get tired of his doting. While all their possessions were now unpacked there was still so much to do before the baby came. The war was finally over and a reluctant peace was settling over Fodlan and in their lives as well. Hanneman was working at Enbarr’s research institute trying to find ways to replicate the abilities of the hero’s relics so the ‘weapons’ can be given a proper burial. Until a week ago Dorothea had been helping at the Middlefrank Opera company getting productions going again with the promise that, after her baby was born, she would be able to return to the stage.

Dorothea still had nightmares of the war and possibly always would, but the feeling of her baby moving in her belly and the hope for the future that her child might grow up in cast a light in the dark memories. She was labeling the letter to the new Lady von Varley and her Lord Husband, or at it said on the inside: Dear Bern and Caspie, when Hanneman emerged wearing his official lab coat.

“Oh yes,” Dorothea said smiling, before rising to her feet with a huff. Once she was steady she walked over and straightened his ascot. “I love a man in uniform. Once I can see my feet again I am going to enjoy taking it off of you.”

Hanneman reddened and cleared his throat before kissing her gently on the lips.

“I will see you later tonight,” he said before kneeling and kissing her belly too.

Dorothea’s heart swelled at the gesture and she watched her husband rise and walk towards the door.

“I will ask the clinic to send over midwife Judica over as soon as possible,” he paused at the door and turned to look at her skeptically. “I meant it when I said to take it easy, please my dear, promise me you will take it easy.”

“I promise,” Dorothea said giving his cheek one last kiss.

Hanneman searched her face before nodding and issuing a final farewell. Alone, Dorothea looked around their apartment; a feeling of pride filling her. The two had gotten up early to finish unpacking their last crates of possessions and with that now finished they could focus on getting everything ready for the baby’s room. 

There was so much to do surely her husband wouldn’t mind if she did just a couple of things? One or two little jobs that needed doing and then she would spend the rest of the day finishing the announcements. She would be careful, maybe just paint one wall to make sure the color would look good? The room would need to be painted before they could set up any of the furniture so Hanneman couldn’t be too mad…

She went to a cabinet to pull out the paint when a cramp pulsed through her abdomen. Dorothea groaned and caught herself on a table to keep from falling to ground completely as the worst pain she had ever felt racked through her body. It was over in a few seconds, but after it was done, Dorothea decided maybe it _would_ be a good idea to just work on the announcements for a while.

There were a few different letter samples she had written and that Hanneman had checked for correct spelling and grammar. Writing and reading were not Dorothea’s strongest abilities not having learned the later until she was ten and the former when she was thirteen. Finishing the letter to Bern and Caspar, she wrote the first, and going to be least used, of the templates.

‘Hello, friends Hanneman and I are excited to announce the birth of our baby. 

The baby was born on _____ and is a _______ baby _____. ____ name is ______ and has ____ eyes and ___ hair. We are so excited to be able to share this news with you and hope to introduce you to ____ soon.

Lots of love,

Dorothea and Hanneman’

This message was only repeated once more to Sylvain as he, Caspar, and Bernadetta were the only ones who knew about Dorothea and Hanneman’s relationship and subsequent marriage. The next letter was written after Dorothea had addressed the letter to Manuela.

‘Dear Manuela, I am writing to let you know about a wonderful event that has taken place in my life. I have just given birth to a _______baby ____. ____ is named _____ and I already adore ____. I am doing well and am happy with the direction my life has taken me. I hope to introduce ___ to you soon and I know you will adore ___ as much as I do.

Lots of love,

Dorothea’

After filling the letter out to Manuela Dorothea began to copy the same message out to Yuri when the cramping returned and passed. Dorothea drank some water hoping that Hanneman had called for the midwife and that she was able to come, soon.

Dorothea had resumed and finished writing the letter to Yuri when she felt an odd popping sensation and fluid trickled out of her and onto the chair. It was then that she began to panic, her eyes bulging and her breathing ragged, the whole room seemed to shrink and spin.

‘ _Nonono!’_ it was too early, it was far too early. ‘ _Oh, goddess please no._ ’

***

“You are doing just fine, Dorothea,” Judica said as Dorothea screamed through another contraction.

“Ah, ah it hurts, oh goddess it hurts!”

“I know, I know, but it will not be too much longer now.”

Dorothea collapsed back onto the bed red-faced and covered in sweat; it had taken two hours after her water broke for Judica to arrive, calm as can be. But that calm had shifted when she had arrived to find Dorothea in labor and trying to climb down the stairs to find help. The midwife and her assistant had helped the panicked woman back up into the apartment and into bed. 

A quick examination later and the midwife told Dorothea that the cramps that had been plaguing her since this morning were the early contractions of labor.

“But I felt my baby kicking this morning,” Dorothea explained.

“No dear that is not possible,” the midwife explained. “It must have been a particularly painful contraction.”

Dorothea doubted that but a true contraction made her lose her train of thought. Judica’s assistant Marbel left, after making sure the midwife had a basin of water and lots of clean cloths, to get Hanneman. Dorothea hoped she was fast, her heart was racing and it was getting harder and harder to keep calm.

Dorothea kept remembering another time she had laid on a bed with painful cramps, it was just before Rhea had taken the professor to the Holy tomb. Before Edelgard had revealed herself as the Flame Emperor, Dorothea had gone to Manuela for help with cramping and heavy bleeding and had left the next day with a part of her heart missing. Dorothea had not even known she was pregnant when she had lost the baby but that didn’t take away from the pain, or at least she could not imagine a deeper more intense pain.

Judica wiped Dorothea’s brow tenderly with a cool cloth.

“My baby isn’t going to make it, is it?” Dorothea asked between deep breaths meant to keep the tears down. “It is too early.”

“If you think like that then, yes,” Judica warned. “Do not give up hope young one, I have seen babies who have come earlier than this go on to live full lives. You have exceeded all your weight markers, I am not overly concerned.”

Dorothea was not convinced but another contraction broke her train of thought as she screamed through the pain. As the fog of pain lifted from her vision, she saw a new, familiar figure rushing into the bedroom.

Hanneman was almost as red-faced and out of breath as she was as he approached Dorothea’s side.

“Dora,” he whispered tenderly smoothing back her hair.

“Mannie!” she cried breaking down into the tears she had been holding back.

“Sh, sh, my darling, I am here.”

“Mannie, I can’t lose this one too.”

Hanneman leaned over and kissed the top of her head so she would not see his tears.

“I know, I know,” he whispered into her hair.

Wiping off his eyes first he brought his face level with hers, cupping her cheeks, he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears gently. Dorothea returned his weak smile with one of her own, a few more tears leaking from her eyes, which he brushed away before pecking his wife on her lips.

His presence and touch had visibly calmed her and while Dorothea’s next contraction still ripped painfully through her body her breathing returned to normal faster than before. Hanneman held her hand and offered her reassurance on how well she was handling the labor and she relaxed and smiled.

“Where is Marbel?” Judica asked Hanneman after another contraction come and went and the midwife’s assistant had not returned to the flat.

“I am not sure, she was right behind me,” Hanneman said looking towards the door.

“We are out of time, help me get her into the birthing position.”

Together, Judica and Hanneman helped Dorothea turn so she rested on her hands and knees, with her legs spread appropriately. Marbel came panting in the room once contraction later, only to receive a scolding by the midwife.

“Pardons my lady,” Marbel said with a curtsey. “I got lost, one minute the sir’s in front of me, the next he was gone.”

Dorothea laughed until she screamed through another contraction.

“Never mind that girl, I can see the head get me the water!” Judica snapped. “Push, Dorothea, push!”

***

Dorothea was trying very hard not to cry, and doing a very poor job of it as she held her son in her arms. The tiny thing was murmuring incoherent sounds as his little red fists moved awkwardly in the air.

“Hello,” Dorothea whispered before she sniffed and laughed, moving to kiss his soft head.

Hanneman sat on the bed next to them, too stunned to do more than reach out a hand to meet his son’s. As the older man's finger touched the small fist the short fingers uncurled reflexively, so Hanneman moved to touch the soft palm. When he did the fingers of the hand closed again trapping Hanneman’s finger in its surprisingly tight grip.

Hanneman tensed, afraid to move; he looked at his wife, his blue eyes wide with shock and maybe a hint of terror. Dorothea gave a small chuckle at his expression, her smile brilliant as she leaned over to kiss him. While his face relaxed after the kiss and as she tapped her head to his, the rest of his body was tense, not moving a millimeter.

“You might want to nurse him,” Marbel said to Dorothea as she handed the new mother a cloth. “See his head? He is turning it trying to find your breast.”

“Oh, right,” Dorothea said, smiling slyly as, when she moved her son to begin nursing him, Hanneman moved too, as to not remove his finger from his son’s grasp.

The baby’s mouth opened wide as his upper lip touched the nipple a tiny pink tongue sticking out of the gummy mouth. Dorothea gasped as the baby latched and began to suck, Hanneman was forced to move his hand out of his son’s grasp as the boy moved his hand to knead his mother’s breast.

“How is his latch?” Marbel asked.

“Good, I think.”

“How does it feel?” Hanneman asked as he watched his wife, in awe of her ability to provide nourishment to the tiny life in her arms.

“I…I am not sure, it feels strange, not bad though.”

Hanneman watched, fascinated, as the baby’s jaw moved up and down, pure animalistic instinct telling him what to do; until he saw nurse Judica who had been quiet since she handed the baby to Dorothea.

“Judica?” Hanneman called seeing the experienced midwife's worried expression. “Judica what is wrong?”

Dorothea instinctively clutched her baby closer to her chest after hearing her husband's concerned tone. She looked alarmed, from Hanneman to Judica and back again while the baby sucked away oblivious.

“Dorothea, how do you feel?” Judica finally asked after a moment.

“Fine,” Dorothea responded quickly, nervously.

“Now I want to think about this, do you feel any cramping, uncomfortableness in your pelvis?” Judica implored.

Dorothea looked perturbed at Hanneman who looked her up and down, alarmed, as one hand wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close.

“I…I have some cramping, not as bad as before, I thought that was normal until the placenta came?”

“It is…”

“What is it Judica?” Hanneman asked as the midwife trailed off. “Please tell us.”

“Dorothea throughout the few months I have been working with you, you have maintained a very healthy weight as your baby grew.” Judica finally began.

“Is she saying I was fat?” Dorothea demanded of Hanneman who smiled but did not comment.

“Even with you delivering a month early I expected your baby to be a very decent size, however…” Judica trailed off again which sent Dorothea’s heart pounding.

“But he is fine, look, see he is nursing, he is eating, he will get bigger.” Dorothea stammered, her chest heaving as she began to hyperventilate.

The baby released the nipple and began to wail dryly. Dorothea began to cry herself as she struggled to reattach the baby to her nipple.

“Dora, Dora, look at me,” Hanneman said as he got off the bed and walked around to the other side, kneeling so she would see his face as she struggled to realign their baby to the breast.

Shaking and wide-eyed she stared at her husband.

“Breathe, my love, breathe, in and out, there we go. Just like that, our son is fine, he is going to be fine.” Hanneman said calmly, in the same tone he used when Dorothea woke from one of her nightmares. “Take another breath, perfect, now let's move him and let him continue eating.”

Hanneman helped angle the baby so he lay horizontally to the breast and Dorothea angled her breast so when the baby opened his eager mouth she was able to pull the baby straight onto the nipple again. As the baby suckled successfully Dorothea calmed considerably closing her eyes at the sensation.

“Judica, what has you concerned?” Hanneman asked calmly as he walked back around the bed to sit down next to Dorothea, rubbing her back slowly.

Judica looked impressed for a moment before she began again.

“Hanneman is right Dorothea, while your son is small he is breathing fine, his heart sounded good, and he is eating already. What I was trying to say is, that for your baby weight, he is much smaller than I expected.”

“What…what does that mean exactly?” Hanneman asked as his gut twisted in understanding.

“That cramping you are feeling, Dorothea, I think your body might be trying to push out a second baby,” Judica said trying to mirror Hanneman’s calm tone despite her anxiety over the suspicion.

“A…a second…” Dorothea began confused. “No, no we ar…there is no way…”

“I asked you about this before,” Hanneman said once Dorothea had trailed off vaguely. “When Dorothea kept saying that the baby usually punched and kicked at the same time, I asked you if it could be twins, you told me ‘no’.”

“I know, I know,” Judica said defensively. “I listened for a heartbeat and felt for a second head everywhere I knew to look and never found anything. But Dorothea, you mentioned earlier that you felt kicking this morning?”

Dorothea nodded numbly.

“That might indicate that while the first baby was in the position to come out, the second was still working its way down,” Judica said cautiously.

Hanneman’s heart seemed to have moved up into his throat, stopping speech and coherent thought from flowing properly.

“Hanneman, I suggest you take the boy from your wife, you can break the suck by putting your finger in his mouth, perfect.”

Dorothea looked confused as Hanneman took their baby from her arms.

“No, no this…this isn’t right we can’t be having twins,” Dorothea said in an almost dazed voice.

“Why do you say that Dora?” Hanneman asked trying to keep her calm as Marbel eased Dorothea so she was leaning back on the pillows and Judica uncovered and spread her legs before mouthing the word ‘shock’ to Hanneman.

“We only have one crib,” said Dorothea as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hanneman gave a single laugh, that was more a puff of air than anything, then he began to laugh and laugh as the reality of the moment set in, Dorothea’s face screwed up in pain, and Judica was yelling at her to push.

***

Hanneman twisted the last screw into place before turning the crib right side up and putting a thin cushion inside it. He tried to rock it back and forth, put pressure on various points, but the wooden bed held steady and together. Nodding at his work Hanneman walked over to the couch where Dorothea sat and picked up the tightly wrapped bundle from her right arm. 

Hanneman kissed his son lovingly on the sleeping baby’s head before putting him gently in the crib. After pausing a moment to ensure the wooden bed did not collapse Hanneman smiled and walked over to the couch to sit next to Dorothea. Their daughter was sucking greedily at her mother’s breast, smaller than her brother, her appetite easily matched her twin’s as she pushed at her mother’s breast.

Dorothea smiled sleepily to Hanneman as she stroked their daughter’s soft head.

“You did that fast,” she said nodding at the crib.

“It was no more complicated than some of the machines I have made,” he replied leaning down to kiss his daughter.

Dorothea hummed contentedly in response.

“I put the clean sheets on the bed, so if you want to move in there, once she is done eating, I will help you over.”

“I am not an invalid, Mannie,” Dorothea said mildly. “I can walk to our bedroom on my own.”

“You are dead on your feet my dear, so to speak, and, given all you did today, I am surprised you are awake at all.”

Dorothea hummed again, leaning her head back against the cushions.

“You were incredible today, do you know that?”

“Hm, even in the middle there when I went a bit loopy?” Dorothea asked embarrassed.

Hanneman kissed her, “Especially then.”

Dorothea blushed proudly even as their daughter fell asleep, the breast falling out of her mouth. Hanneman hurriedly rose from the couch to get a towel to wrap her in, he reminded himself that blankets were another thing he would need to buy when he went to the market tomorrow. Once she was burped and snuggly wrapped up Dorothea walked with Hanneman to lay her in the crib next to her brother.

The two were small, barely bigger than loaves of bread, and wrapped up in the towels with their wrinkled faces they resembled loaves of bread. Dorothea nuzzled into her husband’s side and he obligingly put an arm around her shoulder pulling her close and kissing her forehead.

“We are going to have to come up with names for them,” Dorothea whispered as the boy whimpered softly his body wriggling. “If you want…we can name her after your sister.”

The couple tore their eyes away from their children to look at each other, Dorothea looked hesitant as she saw the wheels turning behind her husband’s eyes. Hanneman looked back at their daughter using his free hand to trace her tiny face, and she cooed in her sleep.

“I appreciate the thought,” Hanneman said after a moment of contemplation. “Truly I do, but she is my second chance, you all are my second chance.”

Dorothea looked doleful as she listened to the underlying pain evident in her husband’s voice.

“I…I do not want to be reminded of my biggest mistake every time I hear our daughter’s name.”

“I am sorry, I just thought…”

Hanneman turned and kissed Dorothea gently.

“And I deeply appreciate the thought.”

They shared a small, sad smile, before Dorothea closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest. Hanneman’s smile brightened as he stroked her hair.

“Bed,” he commanded and she gave a sleepy grunt in protest. “You can walk by yourself or I can drag you.”

Dorothea scowled at him with glazed eyes then looked down at the twins.

“Will you bring them into the room? I don’t want them far away.”

Hanneman nodded and picked up their son first who squealed in protest at being moved and even as Hanneman put a hand under his small head the baby began to cry, which led to his sister crying in turn. With a sinking feeling that this would be his life for at least the next couple years, Hanneman waved Dorothea towards the bedroom before placing their son securely in the crook of one arm so he could rock the baby while using the other hand to rub soothing circles on his daughter’s stomach; all the while making soothing shushing noises.

“It will be alright, I am here, your father is here,” he assured the babes and after a moment both little lives had cried themselves back to sleep.

Careful, as not to jar and reawaken the child Hanneman carried him into the bedroom. Dorothea was passed out and snoring softly, she had not even bothered to get under the sheets. Hanneman placed the baby on the free part of the bed before moving to retrieve his sister, who blessedly did not cry when he picked her up. She was placed, quietly, beside her brother, between their mother and the edge of the bed safe from either.

With no room on the bed for him, Hanneman smiled before collapsing into a reading chair in the room, falling asleep almost at once.

At that moment neither Hanneman nor Dorothea would know they would be woken up in an hour to the cries of children sitting in their excrement. They did not know that over the next month this hour of sleep would seem like a luxury. They could not know all the gummy smiles that awaited them, or how much short nails could scratch, the couple slept a sleep too short to dream never knowing how their children would grow, and the children slept unaware of how much they were loved.


End file.
